Vertical drum-type coil feeding reel



July 17, 1956 w. A. ANDERSON VERTICAL DRUM-TYPE COIL FEEDING REEL Filed Feb. 16, 1952 INVENTOR. M/fiwr/A #2706210.

VERTICAL DRUM-TYPE con. FEEDING REEL William A. Anderson, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Pittsburgh Screw and Bolt Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 16, 1952, Serial No. 271,939

15 Claims. (ill. 242-49) This invention relates, as indicated, to a vertical drumtype coil feeding reel, and, more particularly, to the provision on a reel of this character of a novel form of apparatus for accepting coils from a hairpin hook and for transferring the coils so accepted to a vertical position on the reel from which they may be unreeled and fed to fabricating apparatus.

The reel of this invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with heading machines employed in the manufacture of headed bolts. In accordance with conventional practice, the rod stock fed to the heading machine is commonly in the form of coils which are handled by a crane carried hairpin on which the coils are supported with their axes extending horizontally. The coils are deposited by the hairpin on a horizontal beam-like support from which the rod is fed to the heading machine. In being fed to the heading machine, the rod is pulled endwise from the coil, and, in being so pulled, the rod is twisted. This twist frequently shows up as a defect in the headed bolts formed therefrom, and sometimes results in the formation of kinks in the rod which cause a stoppage of the heading apparatus. In addition to stoppage of the heading apparatus in this manner, it is necessary to stop the apparatus whenever the coil supply of rod stock is exhausted so that a new coil or batch of coils may be deposited on the horizontal beam-like feeding support by the crane hairpin.

In order to avoid stoppage due to kinking of the wire and replenishment of the coil supply as explained above, there is provided, in accordance with principles of this invention, a vertical reel having a horizontal coil accepting beam pivoted to its upper end. The coils of wire rod are deposited by the crane hairpin on the supporting beam in a conventional manner with the axes of the coils extending horizontally. Thereafter, the beam is tilted about its pivotal support to an elevated position in which the coils of wire supported thereon will slide downwardly, and in so sliding, be transferred to a position supported on the vertical reel from which the rod may be fed to the heading machine without any kinkforming twisting action. Moreover, this apparatus enables the replenishment of the coils on the reel without the necessity of shutting down the heading apparatus.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that this invention has as one of its principal objects the provision of reel apparatus which may be charged with a supply of coils of rod without shutting down the heading machine to which it is feeding rod, and which is additionally effective to feed the rod without twisting it.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel vertical reel having a novel arrangement of apparatus for receiving coils from a crane supported hairpin and for transferring such coils to a position on the reel ready for an unreeling operation without the necessity of stopping the unreeling movement of coils previously deposited on the reel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement of apparatus for accepting coils of rod atent from a crane supported hairpin and for transferring the coils so accepted to a position in which their axes extend in a vertical direction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement of apparatus for tilting a horizontal coil supporting beam to an elevated position in which coils supported thereon may slide over the pivoted end of the beam to a vertical position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, the horizontal coil supporting beam being shown with a portion broken away centrally thereof;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation looking from the right of Figure 1, a portion of the housing being broken away to show the fluid pressure motor on the interior of the reel;

Figure 4 is a partial view similar to Figure 3, but looking from the left of Figure 1, in which the horizontal supporting beam is shown in vertical section; and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the mannor in which coils are unreeled from the apparatus of this invention and fed to a heading machine.

Figure 5 of the drawings illustrates diagrammatically the manner in which the reel of this invention is used to feed rod to a heading machine without twisting the rod. In this showing, the letter A designates coils of wire which are supported in superposed position on the reel B. From the reel B, the wire is fed to a draw die C and then to a heading machine D where it is cut to length, and the pieces so cut are upset to provide a headed bolt blank. By reason of the fact that the axis of the reel B is vertical, it will be seen that the rod is unreeled therefrom without the twisting action which is encountered where the rod is pulled from a coil while supported with its axis extending horizontally in the con,- ventional manner. In this way, the formation of kinks which would otherwise stop the rod from being drawn through the draw die C and thereby cause a stoppage of the heading apparatus D is effectively prevented.

In Figures 1 through 4, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the reel B. In this showing, the numeral 1 designates a support or base which may be secured to the floor by bolts inserted through openings in its corners. The base 1 carries a vertically extending cylindrical housing 2 in the form of a cylinder. The reel B is mounted concentrically of the housing or stationary support 2 and comprises a vertical cylinder 4 having an annular supporting plate 5 rigidly secured to its bottom for rotation therewith as a unit. The base 1 is provided with a plurality of rollers 6 on which the plate 5 rotates, and the housing cylinder 2 is provided with upper and lower sets of rollers 7 and 8 which have rolling engagement with the inner surface of the reel 4 to maintain its position concentrically of the housing 2.

A stationary cap id is mounted on the upper end of the housing 2 and is provided with an annular groove 11 in which the upper edge of the reel cylinder 4 is receivable, such upper edge being provided by a cylinder 12 of short axial dimension secured to the inner surface of the reel 4. The outer edge 13 of the cap 10 is flush with the outer surface of the cylinder 4 so that no portion of the cylinder 4 projects beyond the edge of the cap 10. In this manner, there are no overhanging projections on the cylinder 4 on which coils may catch and be prevented in their downward movement to a position supported on the annular plate 5.

The cap is in the nature of a solid casting and is provided with a slot 14 extending transversely thereof as best shown in Figure 3. This casting is provided with a drilled opening 15 in which a pivot pin 16 is received and supported in a position extending transversely of the slot 14 and at one end thereof. The pivot pin 16 pivotally connects one end of a beam 17 to the cap 10. The beam 17 is illustrated in Figure 1 as having its central portion thereof broken away, but it will be understood that the beam has a length somewhat greater than the height of the reel 4 so that a plurality of coils A may be deposited thereon by a crane supported hairpin. The outer end of the beam 17 has a T-shape which terminates at the dotted line 18. A pair of spaced plates 19 are welded to the sides of the T-shaped beam and extend beyond the line 18 to the pivot pin 16.

A pivot pin extending transversely of the plates 19 mounts a guard plate 21 which has its upper end projecting into the space between the plates 19. The pivot pin 20 is positioned adjacent the other end of the slot 14 at the front of the cap 10, and the guard 21 is curved and has a length and width such that it substantially covers the front of the slot 14 when the beam 17 is pivoted to an elevated position in a manner to be described.

To elevate the beam 17 from the position shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 2 to its upper position as shown in dotted lines, a fluid pressure motor 25 within the housing 2 is provided. The motor 25 is preferably a hydraulic motor and conduits 26 and 27 are provided for effecting the admission and exhaust of hydraulic fluid therefrom. The motor 25 includes a piston (not shown) for actuating a piston rod 28 vertically. The upper end of the piston rod 28 has a pivot connection to the lower end of an actuating link 29. A pivot pin 30 extending transversely of the beam plates 19 pivotally connects the upper end of the link 29 to the horizontal beam 17. Upon admission of hydraulic fluid to the motor 25, the link 29 will operate to elevate the beam 17 to its tilted position as shown by the broken lines in Figure 1.

In order that the reaction forces resulting from upward lifting pressure applied to the link 19 will not be applied laterally against the motor 25, there is provided a guide which includes a track 32 extending vertically along the interior surface of the housing 2, and a pulley roller 33 supported by trunnions 34 opposite the connection of the lower end of the link 29 to the piston rod 28. The roller 33 has rolling engagement with the track 32, and is effective to transmit lateral reactive forces directly to the housing 2 and thereby prevent the application of such forces in a lateral direction to the motor 25.

The front surface 35 of the cap 10, from which the beam 17 emerges, has a fragmentary spherical or rounded contour. The rounded contour of the front face 35 facilitates transfer of coils of rod on to the reel B in that it does not provide any sharp edges on which the coils may catch and be prevented in their downward movement onto the reel B. The opposite face 36 of the cap 10 is planar and is arranged so that the upper surface of the beam 17 will be flush therewith when the beam 17 is tilted to its upper position. The flush arrangement of the surface 36 with the upper surface of the beam 17 enables coils of wire to slide downwardly from the beam 17 onto the reel B.

In operation, the beam 17 normally occupies the horizontal position shown by the solid lines in the various figures of the drawings. In this position of the beam 17, one or more coils of rod may be placed thereon by proper manipulation of a crane supported hairpin in a conventional fashion. After withdrawal of the hairpin, the beam 17 is tilted to its upper or elevated position shown by the dotted lines in Figure l by the hydraulic motor 25. Upon movement of the beam 17 to its tilted position, coils of rod supported thereon will slide downwardly over the reel cylinder 4 to a position supported on the annular plate 5 as illustrated in the drawings. The charging of the reel with additional coils of rod in this manner may be effected without stopping the unreeling of rod from coils previously deposited on the plate 5. The ends of a rod forming adjacent coils A may be welded together so that it will not be necessary to stop the heading machine D to effect a rethreading of rod and upon exhaust of the rod from one of the coils A carried by the reel.

Attention is particularly directed to the fact that the apparatus of this invention enables charging of the reel with additional coils of rod without shutting down a heading machine to which it may be feeding rod. It will also be noted that the manner in which the rod is unreeled enables feeding of the rod to a heading or other machine without any uncontrolled twisting action and thereby eliminates the formation of kinks which would otherwise cause a stoppage of the heading machine or other apparatus.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is merely by way of illustration, and that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the contemplation of the invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a coil feeding reel, a stationary vertical support, a reel mounted for rotation about said support and including an annular supporting plate at the bottom thereof, a horizontal beam on which coils of wire may be hung with their axes in a horizontal position, a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said support, and means for tilting said beam upwardly about said pivot so that coils of wire thereon may slide to a position supported on said plate and with their axes extending vertically.

2. In a coil feeding reel, a support including a vertically extending stationary housing, a reel mounted for rotation about said housing and including an annular supporting plate at the bottom thereof, a horizontal beam on which coils of wire may be hung with their axes in a hor izontal position, a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said housing at one side of said reel, means for tilting said beam upwardly about said pivot so that coils of wire thereon may slide to a position supported on said plate and with their axes extending vertically, and a guard pivoted to said beam at the side of said reel directly opposite said connecting pivot and having a depending skirt of a length such that its lower end is positioned below the upper end of said reel when said beam is in a tilted position to prevent coils being transferred to said reel from catching on the upper end of said reel.

3. In a coil feeding reel, a support including a vertically extending stationary housing, a reel mounted for rotation about said housing and including an annular supporting plate at the bottom thereof, a horizontal beam on which coils of wire may be hung with their axes in a horizontal position, a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said housing, means for tilting said beam upwardly about said pivot so that coils of wire thereon may slide to a position supported on said plate and with their axes extending vertically, and a cap mounted on the upper end of said housing and covering the upper edges of said reel for preventing coils of rod sliding into said reel from catching on said upper reel edges.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 characterized by said cap having a transverse slot therein through which said beam moves in pivoting to and from its upper position.

5. The invention defined in claim 6 characterized by said beam having its connecting pivot extending transversely of said slot adjacent one end thereof.

6. The invention defined in claim 4 characterized by said beam having its connecting pivot extending transversely of said slot adjacent one end thereof, the exterior surface of the cap at the other end of said cap being rounded.

7. In apparatus for feeding coiled rod, a stationary vertical support, a reel mounted for rotation about said support, a beam normally having a horizontal position in which it provides an elongated support on which coils of rod may be hung with their axes extending horizontally and parallel to the beam, a pivot connecting the inner end of the beam to the upper end of said support, and means for tilting said beam about said pivot to an elevated position in which coils thereon may slide to a position supported on said reel with their axes extending vertically.

8. In apparatus for feeding coiled rod, a stationary support including a vertically extending housing, a reel rotatably mounted on said support and including a cylinder mounted concentrically of said housing and an annular supporting plate at the bottom of said cylinder, a beam normally having a horizontal position in which it provides an elongated support on which coils of rod may be hung with their axes extending horizontally, a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said housing, and means within said housing for tilting said beam about said pivot to an elevated position in which coils of rod thereon may slide to a position with their axes vertical and supported on said plate.

9. 1n apparatus for feeding coiled rod, a stationary support including a vertically extending housing, a reel rotatably mounted on said support and including a cylinder mounted concentrically of said housing and an annular supporting plate at the bottom of said cylinder, a beam normally having a horizontal position in which it provides an elongated support on which coils of rod may be hung with their axes extending horizontally, a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said housing and means within said housing for tilting said beam in an upward direction out of its horizontal position comprising a link having its upper end pivoted to said beam, and a fluid pressure motor including a vertically movable element operable thereby and having a pivotal connection with the lower end of said link.

10. The invention defined in claim 9 characterized by the provision of a guide for preventing the transmission of lateral forces by said link to said motor and including a vertically extending track on the inner surface of said housing, a roller movable over said track, and means mounting said roller for movement with the lower end of said link.

11. In apparatus for feeding coiled rod, a stationary support including a vertically extending housing, a reel rotatably mounted on said support and including a cylinder mounted concentrically of said housing and an annular supporting plate at the bottom of said cylinder, a

beam normally having a horizontal position in which it provides an elongated support on which coils of rod may be hung, a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said housing, means within said housing for tilting said beam about said pivot to an elevated position in which coils of rod thereon may slide to a position With their axes vertical and supported on said plate, and a cap mounted on the upper end of said housing and covering the upper edge of said reel cylinder to prevent coils of rod from catching on said upper edge when sliding from said beam onto said reel.

12. The invention defined in claim 11 characterized by said cap having a transversely extending slot therein through which said beam moves in pivoting to and from its elevated position.

13. The invention defined in claim 11 characterized by said cap having a transversely extending slot therein through which said beam moves in pivoting to and from its elevated position, said connecting pivot extending transversely of said slot at one end thereof, and a protective guard pivoted to and depending from said beam in front of said slot at the other end thereof.

14. In a coil feeding reel, a vertically extending stationary support, a reel mounted for rotation about said support and including a rotatable coil support at the bottom thereof, a beam extending radially outwardly from the upper end of said stationary support and normally occupying a horizontal position in which coils of wire may be hung thereon with their axes extending horizontally, and a pivot connecting the inner end of said beam to the upper end of said stationary support about which said beam may be swung upwardly to a vertically inclined position so that coils of wire thereon may slide to a position on said rotatable coil support with their axes extending vertically.

15. In a coil feeding reel, a reel mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, a support for said reel, a horizontally disposed beam having a pivotal connection adjacent one end to the upper end of said support and on which coils of wire may be hung with their axes extending horizontally, and means for pivoting said beam about said support in an upward direction out of a normal horizontal position to a tilted position to transfer coils of wire supported on the beam to said reel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,007,039 McCullough Oct. 24, 1911 1,825,214 Swank Sept. 29, 1931 1,956,398 Nullmeyer Apr. 24, 1934 2,598,572 Losinski et al. May 27, 1952 

